OOTD: Bikini’s aren’t just for the beach!

Whilst swimming costumes in funky prints have been a part of my out-out arsenal for years now, it never crossed my mind that bikini tops could be as versatile. However, that was until I clocked this amazing ASOS number…

Gingham, red and frilly? YES PLEASE. This piece manages to tick three of this season’s big-hitting trend boxes at once. Very well played indeed ASOS.

As soon as I saw it I knew it’d make the perfect summery statement top. Red and I have been having a serious love affair for the past few seasons now so I layered it up over a bright ribbed tee for maximum impact.

You could style this bikini in so many different ways though. I’d also wear it over white, grey or a fun pop of yellow too, or ditch the layers altogether and keep it simple with a pair of high-waisted denim shorts.

I’ve already raved about these jeans in this blog post so do go and check that out if you haven’t already, but I still can’t get enough of them.

I teamed this look with some of my favourite oldie-but-goodie accessories. These sock boots are from New Look and were such a great find! Whilst there’s very little New Look in my wardrobe at the moment, my shoe collection is another story. I have so many great pairs from them from cool flats to amazing heels and their pricepoint really can’t be sniffed at.

Whilst faux can be fun, if you’re looking for shoes that’ll stand the test of time, my top tip is to always keep an eye out for real leather or suede. A good 75% of the New Look shoes that I own are made of these higher-quality materials as they do age so much better. You really can find some absolute gems in there!

These boots were from their premium section which I highly recommend checking out if you haven’t already. Whilst slightly more expensive, due to using real leather and suede, the designs are also next-level so I really think the quality is worth the extra £££.

These say “New Look Premium” inside the shoe but I can’t seem to find a premium tab on their website so I’m not sure if they’re still calling it that. However, if you search for “real leather” or “real suede” on their website you’ll be able to find the good stuff in no time. This pair are real suede and if I remember rightly I think they only set me back around £60 which I think is such a steal.

The combination of a square toe, suede, slim-fitting sock and marble-effect heel makes these look way more high-end than they actually are. Whenever I wear these someone always asks me where they’re from and they can never believe it when I say New Look! <3 them

Okay, enough of my ode to New Look’s shoe department, let’s move on to the other end of the scale. Say hello to my Louis Vuitton backpack of dreams. This is a vintage Montsouris PM which is no longer in production but my amazing boyfriend managed to track one down for me for Christmas, what a hero! This one is in amazing condition for it’s age and, as I do tend to baby my designer bags, I intend to make sure she stays in tip top shape.

I do love a cheeky bit of logomania when it’s done in the right way so it’s no surprise that I’m a mono gal when it comes to LV. For me, the right way to pull off anything emblazoned with in-your-face branding is to stick to the general rule of only wearing one statement piece at a time. This will prevent erring into tacky (read: try-hard) territory.

The main exception to this rule would be the rare occasion of going all-out with the same pattern head-to-toe and then it crosses over into streetwear and becomes “a look”. Because going for such a bold look is so purposeful, it’s wearing the branding in an almost ironic way (think: an it’s-so-bad-that-it’s-good kind of way) so it becomes tastefully tacky.

One of the looks in the Gosha Rubchinskiy x Burberry collab, which was unveiled last week, is the perfect example of this. It’s marmite fashion at it’s finest, I think it’s absolute fire but others might not get it. For literally years I’ve been trying to track down a Burberry print co-ord, how cool would a fitted blazer and matching high-waisted shorts be?! One day I will find you!

I digress… For me there’s something so timeless about the classic monogram with it’s vachetta detailing. I love to be hands-free when I’m out and about so this mini backpack is perfect.

If you’ve seen a tiny Louis Vuitton backpack anywhere recently, chances are it’s the Palm Springs Mini Monogram backpack which was designed by Nicolas Ghesquière and released in LV’s Cruise 2016 collection. It comes sans cowskin vachetta and, aside from the traditional monogram, it has also been reimagined in reverse mono and infrarouge (the black and red monogram).

The Palm Springs backpacks are super cool and once I’ve filled a few gaps in my handbag collection first, I’d love to pick one up at some point in the future.

However, now that this Montsouris backpack is discontinued (as of 2007 I believe), they’re super rare which was a huge draw for me. I’ve seen a few of the bigger sizes about (MM and GM) but I’ve never actually seen another PM (IRL or even online!) which was the decider in my first foray into LV backpacks. I’m sure most people will never have heard of this bag and there’s not a ton of info online so I’ll do a full review of it soon with lots of pics, showing what fits inside and all of the measurements etc for anyone that wants the 411.

To complete the look I threw on my trusty round Ray Bans. I’m a huge Ray Ban fan, they’re the perfect choice for classic frames that just go with absolutely everything and these ones are no exception. As they’re unisex, my boyfriend and I have built up a tidy little collection between us which I’ll definitely share with you soon too.

As you’ll see throughout this blog, I do a ton of shopping on Amazon and I actually picked this pair up from there at a cracking price. To be on the safe side with fakes etc, I’d always advise buying directly from Amazon themselves or sticking to trusted retailers and you’ll be golden.

Apologies that was a way longer read than I intended but congrats if you made it this far! Would you ever try a bikini as a top? Also do let me know if you love New Look’s shoe collection, logomania or Amazon as much as me!

2 Comments

That backpack gets all the heart eyes! When we were in Paris last month, I picked up the LV Neverfull for my mom. It took all that I had not to purchase one for myself, too. That whole down-payment-on-a-house-thing really puts a damper on splurging on a LV. One day, though! haha 🙂